Finding Her Way Home
by rebelrsr
Chapter 6
[reviews]
Disclaimer: All things Buffy belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and lots of people in expensive suits. I'm not making any money here, just trying to create a happier Buffyverse for my favorite characters.
Spoilers, etc.: "Dopplegangland," "Something Blue" and everything after "The Gift."
A/N: Character thoughts are enclosed by **. Flashbacks are enclosed by //. Thanks to Zenithar and Zigpal for the beta and encouragement! I couldn't do it without you.
Archiving: By permission only.
"Now, are you finished with the temper tantrum?" Kirstan stared impassively down at Willow. When the young witch didn't answer, the ex-Slayer continued. "You're biggest problem, daughter mine, is you have no discipline. You've been taking care of yourself for so long, you've forgotten how to let others care for you. That stops here. Jennifer and I are going to make sure you get this gift of yours under control." She shrugged and dropped down to kneel next to the redhead. "It's not going to be fun or easy. This morning is just a small taste of just how bad it will get."
"Oh, goodie," Willow responded sarcastically. "So, in an effort to whip me into shape, you're going to put me through Wiccan Boot Camp?"
A reluctant smile touched the brunette's lips. "If that's what you want to call it. You are out of shape, physically and emotionally. It's making it even harder for you to manage the power." She touched the young girl's arm. "Denise — sorry, Willow, if you don't get all this taken care of, the power will consume you. I'm not about to let that happen without a fight. Even if that fight is with you." She stood again. "Jennifer warded me against your magic. She started warding the barn as soon as we came in. Right now, magic won't work in here. Unless you can take me physically, you're stuck here until I'm finished with you."
Climbing slowly to her feet, Willow glared at the taller woman. "I want to get control of my power. But this," she gestured at the large, open facility, "isn't necessary. Just give me some time; I can do this on my own."
"That attitude could kill a lot of innocent people," Kirstan replied.
"I'm not evil. I don't go around committing random acts of violence," the younger girl exclaimed. "Hello! Slayer for a best friend! I help stop the evil."
"You used to. The amount of power running through you right now will eventually end in tragedy. It's already responding to your thoughts and emotions. How else do you explain your trip to Sunnydale last night? You told Jennifer you were thinking about Buffy and in the next instant you were standing right next to her. What if, instead of just wishing you were with Buffy, you got mad and wished she were dead? What would happen then?"
"That would never happen!" Willow couldn't believe what her mother was saying. *Does she really believe I would ever do something like that?*
"Let's test that idea." Kirstan grabbed Willow's shirt and effortlessly tossed her across the room. The redhead landed on a pile of wrestling mats, but the impact still hurt. She tried to get up, but the ex-Slayer had followed her, and sent her flying back to her original spot in the center of the barn.
Nearly blind from the pain in her head, the novice witch vomited helplessly. Curling in on herself, she lay on the floor waiting for whatever came next.
"Given up already? How was it you helped the current Slayer?" Kirstan towered over her. "Get up. You don't get to just quit. You have to want to control your abilities." Closing her eyes, Willow tried to ignore the other woman. Unfortunately, the ex-Slayer wasn't going away. The sick and by this point frightened redhead found herself dangling several inches off the floor thanks to her mother's hand tangled in the cotton shirt she wore. "You're nothing, kid. I'm surprised the Slayer even wanted you around. Let me guess, she took pity on you because you were so pathetic and she's been protecting you ever since."
With that one sentence, Kirstan verbalized a fear Willow had nursed since the night Buffy had saved her from being bitten. Fear seemed to wake the quiescent magic in her body. Knowing any form of arcane attack was useless against the heavily shielded brunette holding her, she tried to stuff the magic back into her power reservoir. Although the flow slowed, it didn't stop. *How the frilly heck do I stop this?* The novice witch tried the mantra from the previous evening. It helped, but it wasn't fast enough. The power build up was overshadowing her efforts at control. "Mom, put me down. Please, put me down and go."
"You aren't listening. I'm not going anywhere until you start trying to control your magic," her mother replied.
"Damn it. I'm not talking about the fucking training. Right now you're about to be on the receiving end of a magical Mack truck." She took a deep breath and kept mentally chanting the mantra. "The shielding may hold and this might just bounce off. But it's never been this bad before. I'm betting on it cutting right through whatever warding Jennifer used." Willow felt her body start to shake in Kirstan's grasp. She was sweating so heavily it dripped off her dangling hands. "I can't —" The warning broke off, becoming a hoarse scream as the power literally exploded out of the young girl.
Willow opened her eyes, peering through the blue wash of energy. Somehow, the ex-Slayer had managed to hang on, but she wouldn't last for long. Already, the young witch felt her feet touch the floor, her mother's fingers falling from her shirt. Where her power met Jennifer's wards, silver sparks danced. She could faintly sense Jennifer's power signature around Kirstan. It was weakening; it wasn't strong enough to hold against the hurricane Willow had unleashed. She couldn't let those wards fall. Closing her eyes again, the young witch abandoned the mantra. Reaching inside with ephemeral 'hands,' she shaped a dam out of the shattered remains of the barrier that had once contained her magical potential. Continuing to search for more mystical debris, Willow piled her newly constructed barricade at the widest part of the breach. There was an immediate drop in the magical energy slamming into Kirstan and the warding held.
Inside, though, Willow was still looking at the energy river pressing against the dam. It wasn't a solid structure and power sluggishly oozed from the cracks in the materials. Anxiously, she waited, watching for the slightest give. Several minutes passed with nothing more than trickles of energy getting through. Letting go of her internal astral form, the witch opened tired green eyes. The barn had been mostly empty, but the few pieces of gym equipment had been thrown against the walls by the magical outpouring. Kirstan stood unsteadily in front of Willow, bleeding from shallow cuts caused when the redhead's power had started to buckle the wards.
Wiping at the blood streaming from her nose, Willow said quietly, "Point taken. Can we do this training without all of the bullying now? The barrier I have up won't hold under pressure."
***
"It will take me a few days to get things settled here," Giles answered Buffy's heart felt plea.
With a tired laugh, Buffy said, "Giles, just knowing you're coming home is enough right now. Is there something Tara and I should be doing until you get here?"
"I don't think so, my dear. Until we know for sure what happened to Willow, you need to be cautious. If something did happen during the resurrection spell, we may very well be dealing with an ancient and powerful force." There was a pause and the line crackled alarmingly.
"Giles, are you still there?" Buffy asked anxiously.
His voice very faint and garbled with static, Giles said, "Yes. I'm still on the line. I'll start making arrangements to leave for Sunnydale by the end of the week. I can give Althenea a call today. If she has any contacts near to you, I'll call immediately. Until you hear from me, I implore you not to confront Willow in any way."
"OK, Giles. I don't like the idea of leaving Will to deal with this on her own." Buffy slid off the stool and grabbed a soda from the fridge. "I'll make sure to let Dawn know what we've discussed. She's had a better relationship with Willow than any of us these past weeks. I'll try to get her to understand she needs to give Will some space."
"That's sounds like an excellent plan, Buffy. Now, you sound exhausted and it's quite late there. Get some rest. I'll call just as soon as I have information." Giles was in full father mode, and the Slayer smiled just hearing the caring in his voice.
"OK, Giles. I'll try." She took a deep breath. "Thanks for always being there. I've really missed you."
"And I, you, Buffy. Remember, I'll always be by your side if that's where you want me." The faint voice sounded choked with emotion.
"Good night, Giles." Buffy hung up the phone and headed for the stairs. She knew that she wouldn't sleep even as tired as she felt. Since being back, all she got for her efforts were nightmares. She climbed the stairs and quietly opened the door to Dawn's room. The younger Summers was sound asleep. Closing the door gently, Buffy returned to the first floor and wearily stretched out on the couch. She would rest here until Dawn got up. She didn't want to miss warning her sister about the situation with Willow. Closing her eyes, the Slayer worked on relaxing her muscles one at a time.
***
When the telephone rang, Buffy shot off the couch, heart pounding. Breath ragged, thoughts scattered, she tried to make sense of where she was. The phone rang again.
"Hey, Buffy, are you going to answer that?" Dawn's voice floated down the stairs.
The blonde staggered toward the kitchen. "Yeah, Dawnie. I've got it." She grabbed the handset as a third ring sounded. "Hello?"
"Good morning, Buffy." The warm British voice steadied her.
"Oh, hey, Giles." She glanced around the kitchen. The clock read 7:30. "Were you able to get in touch with that friend of yours?"
"That's why I'm calling." Giles seemed hesitant and the Slayer felt a familiar sinking in her stomach.
*Please, Giles, tell me there's a way we can help Will. All this happened because of me. I don't have to even say anything about how I feel, just, please, let me fix this,* she pleaded silently. Aloud, she asked, "What did you find out?"
From the length of the pause that followed, Buffy knew her Watcher was trying to find a good way to phrase the news. "Well, there are a couple of things, Buffy. First, Althenea said there is a powerful and experienced witch living not far from Sunnydale."
"That's of the good, Giles," Buffy interrupted. Her sense of impending doom increased. "But, I think you're holding out on me. My Slayer senses are screaming. What new apocalyptic bad did you discover?"
A sighed traveled along the line. "Buffy, I don't even know how to begin."
"Just say it, Giles. After all this time, I don't think sugar coating really helps. How bad is it likely to get?" Buffy gripped the handset until it creaked under the pressure.
"I was doing some research on magical possession in case something did, in fact, leave a mark on Willow." *Just get to the point, damn it, Giles*, Buffy screamed in her mind. Giles continued at his own pace, though. "In one of the oldest volumes on the subject, I found several references to demonic possession as well as enhancing magical potential."
Buffy couldn't take it anymore. "Giles, please. Stop explaining how you found out. Just tell me what's coming."
"I don't really know what's coming, Buffy," Giles said. "However, it appears Willow's magical growth has been preordained. She's part of a very ancient prophecy."